The New National Broadband Plan: A Web Dashboard to Make Invisible Wireless Spectrum Visible
BY Nancy Scola | Monday, March 15 2010
At an FCC briefing this morning, I got my hands on a copy of the long-awaited National Broadband Plan that was set to be released tomorrow morning. And as it appears that Politico has broken the midnight embargo, instead of a leisurely, contemplative lunch before heading back up to New York, I'm in a Capitol Hill Cosi type-type-typing away. Thanks Politico! Anyway, we'll be digging through the plan for parts relevant to what we do here, but here's a taste. As part of their national broadband strategy, the FCC is soon going to be releasing a beta version of an online Wireless Spectrum Dashboard:
Concurrent with the National Broadband Plan, the FCC is launching a beta release of a spectrum dashboard. This Internet-based software enables user-friendly access to information regarding spectrum bands and licenses, including those that may be suitable for wireless broadband deployment. The initial version includes general information about non-federal use of spectrum bands in the range of 225 MHz to 3.7 GHz as well as more detailed information about bands of particular relevance to broadband.
The spectrum dashboard will allow users to browse spectrum bands more easily, search for spectrum licenses, produce maps and download raw data for further analysis. For the first time, through a single FCC portal, users may access basic information on the licenses (e.g., license name, contact information, frequency bands) as well as descriptions of allocations. Further, the dashboard includes information not previously available through the FCC website, such as the capability to search for licenses based on commonly recognizable names of companies (e.g., AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) and the amount of spectrum held by licenses on a county-by-county basis for many types of licenses.
The wireless spectrum is a national resource owned by the people, even if it isn't always treated as such. And this is one instance where the Obama administration's affection for online dashboards (see, IT Spending Dashboard, Open Government Dashboard) is potentially pretty significant. Applying the principles of open government -- raw data, visualizations, and the rest -- makes that spectrum more knowable, shifting the balance a power of bit between those who currently license and make money off the spectrum, and upstarts, innovators, and the American people.